The action is never really exciting, and the thoughtful material keeps getting interrupted by action bits. Now, this is all well and good for the movie, and as I said, sets the tone perfectly… but it makes for a somewhat disappointing listen. Marianelli’s main theme for Foster’s character (“Erica”) is one of those quiet, moody piano-based themes that sets the right tone without being particular memorable.Ī lot of the tracks have elements you hear in most thriller scores… electronic percussion, chopping strings, little action motifs… but they rarely get to come out in full force, usually being tempered by some somber counterpoint or injections of gloom. The album sounds precisely like what you’d expect music for a thoughtful thriller to sound like… providing plenty of introspective moments and sprinkling in a lot of lower-key thrills. While Marianelli certainly provides an effective and well-written score for “The Brave One”, I’m sorry to say that it isn’t one of his more engaging efforts as a listening experience. Marianelli has impressed film score fans and critics in recent years with efforts like “V for Vendetta”, “The Brothers Grimm”, and the Academy Award-nominated score for “Pride and Prejudice”. For unknown reasons, this time Jordan turned to a new composer, Dario Marianelli. Jordan has frequently collaborated with composer Elliot Goldenthal in the past (“The Good Thief”, “In Dreams”, “The Butcher Boy”, “Michael Collins”, “Interview with a Vampire”). The film is essentially a much more thoughtful take on “Death Wish”, a revenge thriller in which the heroine actually has to deal with the moral murkiness of her actions. Jodie Foster turns in one of her best “victimized woman” performances, and Terence Howard adds some very solid support as the police officer who befriends/investigates her. It’s a well-crafted film with several three-dimensional characters and a story that doesn’t allow reality to slip away during the difficult moments. While I was quite bothered by the way audiences responded to Neil Jordan’s thoughtful thriller “The Brave One”, it didn’t keep me from admiring the film for a number of reasons.

Erica the brave one